2006-01-04

What did Koštunica write for Obraz?

I first heard about the possible connection between current Serbian prime minister Vojislav Koštunica and the bizarre far-right group Obraz (the Vojvodina Assembly defined this cheeky group as "clerical-fascist," and has asked that they be banned) when the social psychologist Jovan Byford discussed an article that Mr Koštunica wrote for the movement's magazine (called Obraz, but the magazine predates the movement) in 1996. Dr Byford discussed the matter, and the genesis of far right movements generally, for Peščanik on 23 December.

The full text of the article is reproduced by B92. Anyone looking for shocking revelations, or even interesting reading, will be disappointed. The article is basically a recital of themes that are more or less standard in Mr Koštunica's milieu, most of them derivative of earlier renditions by writers like Vasilije Krestić and Dobrica Ćosić. So conclude what you will. I conclude that Mr Koštunica is not an original thinker and that he chooses his company poorly, but then we already knew that.